f  I  'iririJ-irMnA  .rmvmo*  ;oinl!l<  .11  In;O  •.numVsv.A-  -VvcvoT 
Home  Education  Circular  No.  2.  April,  1922. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE   INTERIOR. 

BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 
WASHINGTON.  D.  C. 


HOME  EDUCATION  BY  MEANS  OF  READING  COURSES 
AND  THE  COOPERATION  OF  STATE  AND  NATIONAL 
AGENCIES. 


By  ELLEN  C.  LOMBARD, 
Director  of  Home  Education. 


Report  of  the  Conference  of  Special  Collaborators  and  Librarians 
Called  by  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education  and 
Held  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  April  22, 1922. 


Representatives  from  24  States  and  the  District  of  Columbia  were 
present,  as  follows :  Arkansas,  1 ;  Colorado,  1 ;  District  of  Columbia, 
4;  Illinois,  2;  Indiana,  5;  Kansas,  1;  Kentucky/' 11 ;  Louisiana,  2; 
Massachusetts,  2 ;  Michigan,  1 ;  Mississippi,  1 ;  New  York,  1 ;  North 
Carolina,  2;  North  Dakota,  1;  Ohio,  2;  Oklahoma,  1;  Pennsylvania, 
2 ;  South  Carolina,  1 ;  Texas,  1 ;  Utah,  2 ;  Virginia,  1 ;  Wisconsin,  2 ; 
total,  49. 

PROGRAM. 
General  chairman:  ELLEN  C.  LOMBARD,  United  States  Bureau  of  Education. 

General  topic:  Problems  of  cooperation  between  State  and  national  agencies  In 
connection  with  the  home  reading  courses. 

(1)  Conference  opened  by  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education, 

John  J.  Tigert. 

(2)  Problems  of  cooperation.    Practical  suggestions  for  improvement  and 

extension.    Local  problems. 
Topic  chairman:  O.  E.  Klingaman,  director  of  extension,  University 

of  Iowa. 
Discussion:  Wellington  Patrick,  director  of  extension,  University 

of  Kentucky. 

(3)  Suitability  of  materials.    Suggestions  for  new  material,  sources,  etc. 

Topic  chairman:  Charles  G.  Maphis,  director  of  extension,  Univer- 
sity of  Virginia. 

Discumiion:  Elmore  Peterson,  director  of  extension,  University  of 

Colorado. 
4371*— 22 1 


General  topic:  Problems  of  cooperation  between  State  and  national  agencies  In 
connection  with  the  home  reading  courses — Continued. 

(4)  Library  cooperation  and  its  success.    Reciprocal  relations. 

Topic  chairman:  Carl  H.  Milam,  secretary,  American  Library  As- 
sociation, Chicago. 

Discussion:  Mary  B.  Palmer,  secretary,  North  Carolina  Li- 
brary Commission.  C.  B.  Roden,  librarian,  Chicago  Public  Li- 
brary. 

(5)  Value  of  the  service.     Accomplishments.    How  the  service  can  be 

made  more  valuable. 

Topic  chairman:  Walton  S.  Bittner,  associate  director,  extension 
,^rjo., Division,  Indiana  University 


The  conference  was  opened  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education  with 
a  statement  of  the  reasons  for  calling  special  collaborators  and  li- 
brarians together  to  discuss  the  home  reading  project  and  the  plan 
of  cooperation  existing  between  the  several  States  and  the  Federal 
Bureau  of  Education.  Attention  was  directed  to  the  difficulties  and 
limitations  to  be  overcome,  and  the  desirability  for  frank  expression 
of  opinions  as  to  the  means  of  surmounting  these  obstacles  and  mak- 
ing the  work  more  effective. 

COOPERATION  IN  IOWA. 

By  O.  E.  KLINGAMAN. 

•  •»!(>: J  \Q  j-.hr-i< ! 

If  one  wishes  to  spend  his  leisure  half  hours  in  a  way  leading  to 
true  pleasure  as  well  as  to  true  profit,  he  can  do  nothing  better  than 
read  good  books.  The. average  American  satisfies  himself  with  what 
the  current  magazines  and  newspapers  afford,  letting  the  better  lit- 
erature of  the  world  lie  on  the  shelves  of  libraries  or  in  bookshops, 
unknown  and  unread  save  by  the  few  who  have  found  that  books 
contain  the  great  principles  of  life. 

Consistent,  orderly  reading  of  the  world's  classics  is  within  the 
reach  of  everyone — the  business  man  at  his  desk,  the  mother  in  her 
home,  the  youth  and  the  maid,  the  boy  and  the  girl;  all  have  time, 
if  they  will  use  it,  to  read  some  definite  group  of  books  that  will  fit 
them  more  fully  for  the  part  they  are  to  play  in  the  drama  of  life. 

Ideas  such  as  these  are  familiar.  Most  people  like  to  read,  and 
they  are  glad  to  read  good  books,  but  they  find  it  difficult  to  hold 
themselves  down  to  steady,  orderly  effort.  Encouragement  has  come 
from  many  sources  in  the  past,  and  now  a  great  governmental  insti- 
tution has  seen  the  importance  of  good  reading  and  has  begun  to 
outline  regular  courses  in  various  fields.  The  Bureau  of  Education 
of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  is  the  institution  which  has  this 
work  in  hand.  So  vast  is  its  territory  that  the  department  has  re- 


quested  the  assistance  of  other  competent  organizations  in  the  vari- 
ous States.  In  the  State  of  Iowa  such  cooperation  is  offered  by  the 
extension  division  of  the  University  of  Iowa. 

Some  of  the  courses  will  appeal  to  boys  and  girls  and  some  to 
adults  of  varying  tastes.  The  courses  are  well  balanced  and  cover 
almost  every  field  of  activity.  After  the  reading  of  each  course  is 
completed  as  prescribed,  a  certificate  will  be  awarded  bearing  the 
seal  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  and  signed  by  the 
Commissioner  of  Education.  All  men  and  women,  young  and  old, 
who  want  to  know  the  best  there  is  in  the  literature  of  the  world  and 
to  gain  the  inspiration  it  gives,  are  invited  to  join  this  national 
reading  circle. 

Home  education  was  organized  for  Iowa  in  July,  1920.  The  first 
publicity  was  in  the  form  of  a  S.  U.  I.  Service  Bulletin,  issued  by  the 
extension  division.  It  was  sent  to  returned  soldiers,  high-school  and 
rural  teachers,  parent-teachers'  associations,  etc.,  and  met  with  a 
generous  response  from  various  people  all  over  Iowa. 

The  next  publicity  was  of  the  same  bulletin  form,  published  in 
August,  1921.  This  went  to  various  organized  associations  in  dif- 
ferent communities,  county  agents,  ministerial  associations,  libraries, 
county  superintendents,  and  principals  of  all  schools,  besides  our 
active  mailing  list.  We  now  have  200  active  readers,  ranging  from 
16  to  TO  years  of  age.  Our  list  includes  high-school  students,  doc- 
tors, lawyers,  clubwomen,  farmers  and  their  wives,  politicians,  busi- 
ness men,  mechanics,  and  tradesmen  of  various  sorts,  studying  the 
books  leading  to  a  greater  grasp  of  their  individual  subject,  need,  or 
advancement.  High-school  and  college  students  supplement  their 
studies  in  history  and  literature  by  many  of  the  various  courses. 

A  group  of  young  girls  in  the  Amana  Colonies  are  reading  several 
different  courses — striving  to  know  more  of  the  world  and  its  history 
and  literature  than  is  possible  to  get  in  the  graded  schools  they  are 
allowed  to  attend. 

Another  reader,  a  woman  totally  blind,  has  completed  Courses  I, 
II,  and  IX ;  she  reads  all  her  books  by  the  Braille  system  and  then 
types  her  own  reports. 

We  have  groups  of  clubwomen  reading  and  reviewing  different 
books  at  their  meetings.  Mothers  who  have  children  in  our  uni- 
versity and  in  various  colleges  are  striving  by  this  means  to  keep 
pace  with  their  sons  and  daughters. 

We  have  many  requests  from  readers  concerning  our  Americaniza- 
tion or  citizenship  courses.  If  courses  could  be  outlined  containing 
books  on  naturalization,  elections,  and  the  ballot;  laws  concerning 
women  and  children;  political  parties  and  platforms;  county  and 
municipal  governments;  tax  levies,  etc.,  it  would  meet  this  demand. 


DISCUSSION.  Mr.  Wellington  Patrick  discussed  the  difficulties  en- 
countered in  carrying  on  the  work  in  Kentucky  because  of  inadequate 
library  facilities  throughout  the  State.  He  recommended  that  the 
Commissioner  of  Education  call  a  general  conference  next  fall,  in 
cooperation  with  institutions  and  organizations  in  Kentucky,  to 
enable  educational  and  social  forces  to  discuss  and  formulate  a  defi- 
nite movement  to  overcome  these  limitations. 
•  • 

SUITABILITY   OF  MATERIAL  WITH    SUGGESTIONS   FOR   NEW 

MATERIALS. 

By  CHARLES  G.  M APHIS. 

It  was  not  long  after  the  extension  division  of  the  University  of 
Virginia  had  agreed  to  act  as  administrative  agent  for  the  reading 
courses  in  Virginia  that  the  fact  was  realized  that  the  greatest  ob- 
stacle in  the  way  of  the  wider  use  of  the  courses  was  the  inability  of 
prospective  readers  to  secure  books  on  account  of  the  lack  of  library 
facilities  in  the  State  and  the  expense  of  purchasing  the  necessary 
books. 

We,  therefore,  addressed  our  first  attention  largely  to  an  effort  to 
secure  these  facilities.  A  new  service  was  created  in  the  State  li- 
brary in  Richmond,  which  agreed  to  purchase  all  the  books  required 
by  the  various  reading  courses  and  to  lend  them  free  of  charge  to 
those  who  enrolled.  To  supplement  this  work  a  small  appropria- 
tion was  made  by  the  University  extension  division  itself  for  the 
purchase  of  books  to  lend  in  a  similar  way.  Thus  two  new  agencies 
of  service  were  created  by  the  reading  course  in  this  State. 

My  topic  for  discussion  is  "  Suitability  of  Materials,  with  Sugges- 
tions for  New  Materials."  The  aim  of  the  course  will  determine 
largely  its  extent.  If  it  is  intended  primarily  for  those  who  have 
already  acquired  some  taste  for  reading  and  cultivated  to  some  extent 
the  habit  of  reading,  the  present  course  may  be  adequate,  because 
I  have  found  that  it  appeals  very  largely  to  that  class  of  persons. 
In  the  21  courses  now  offered  382  books  are  required.  While  it  is 
true  that  the  world  of  books  is  too  large  for  any  one  person  to 
master,  there  is  some  doubt  in  my  own  mind  whether  the  courses  as 
now  outlined  make  a  sufficiently  wide  appeal  to  interest  persons  who 
have  not  already  acquired  the  habit  of  reading  or  to  attract  persons 
who  are  in  need  of  courses  of  reading  in  their  special  fields. 

I  therefore  suggest  the  following  additional  material : 

(1)  A  new  course  of  fiction  made  up  largely  of  last  year's  "best 
sellers."  I  think  all  librarians  would  testify  to  the  fact  that  there 
is  greater  demand  for  fiction  than  for  any  other  class  of  literature. 
Through  this  course  as  a  beginning,  interest  might  be  established  in 
other  lines  of  reading. 


(2)  A  course  of  the  best  war  books. 

(3)  A  course  of  books  on  citizenship  and  government.     This,  in 
my  opinion,  is  a  very  important  course  and  would  appeal  largely  to 
new  women  voters. 

(4)  A  course  of  books  on  labor  and  capital. 

(5)  A  course  of  business  books  for  business  men. 

(6)  A  course  on  rural  sociology  and  economic  problems. 

(7)  A  course  consisting  of  the  best  children's  books. 

In  my  opinion,  if  the  reading  courses  were  made  shorter  and  a 
smaller  number  of  books  required  for  their  completion,  a  much 
larger  proport'ion  of  those  who  enroll  would  complete  the  courses 
and  many  others  would  be  induced  to  undertake  them.  It  would 
have  the  additional  advantage  of  allowing  a  diversity  of  reading. 
Most  persons  do  not  care  to  confine  their  reading  to  one  subject  or 
.one  division  of  literature  for  so  long  a  time  as  to  complete  the 
reading  of  from  20  to  30  books.  Therefore,  in  my  opinion,  it  would 
be  wise  to  establish  more  courses  with  fewer  required  books  in  each 
and  thus  appeal  to  a  larger  number  of  groups  with  diversified  in- 
terests and  encourage  the  completion  of  the  courses. 

A  reader  who  has  completed  from  5  to  10  books  in  one  subject  is 
likely  to  have  created  an  interest  which  would  lead  him  voluntarily 
to  further  exploration  in  that  field  without  the  requirements  of  the 
course. 

DISCUSSION.  Mr.  Elmore  Peterson  pointed  out  that  suitability  of 
materials  was  not  so  important  as  availability  in  his  work  in  Colo- 
rado. He  asked  what  was  to  be  done  when  there  were  no  libraries 
and  no  book  stores.  He  stated  that  in  Colorado  books  would  be  pur- 
chased and  made  available  to  all  who  called  for  them. 

LIBRARY  COOPERATION. 

'>«1  en  •-.'•  T;u.TT  irwij'Ji  -HI.)  *M  ilumrt 

By  CAUL  H.  MILAM. 

With  the  possible  exception  of  newspapers  and  magazines  no 
agency  or  institution  can  do  so  much  for  the  promotion  of  volun- 
tary self-education  as  the  American  public  library.  It  is  the  one 
tax-supported  educational  agency  whose  business  is  to  serve  the  edu- 
cational needs  of  every  citizen  throughout  all  the  years  of  his  life. 

Whatever  may  have  been  true  in  the  years  that  have  passed,  it  is 
certainly  not  true  now  that  the  public  library  is  primarily  a  place 
for  the  circulation  of  popular  novels — a  sort  of  ladies'  and  chil- 
dren's "  pink  tea  "  affair.  The  library  which  is  pointing  the  way  in 
these  days  is  the  one  which  is  emphasizing  its  educational  functions ; 
the  one  which  is  in  reality  becoming  a  headquarters  and  fountain 
source  for  all  the  ambitious  men,  women,  and  children  who  want  to 
4371°— 22 2 


6 

read  and  study  seriously  to  a  definite  end.  It  is  a  university,  a  col- 
lege, high  school,  elementary  school,  correspondence  school,  and 
night  school — all  in  one — without  formal  classes. 

All  libraries  are  doing  this  educational  work  to  a  greater  extent 
than  the  public  realizes.  Progressive  libraries  are  looking  forward 
to  the  day  when  adequate  funds  will  be  provided  that  will  make  pos- 
sible a  more  generous  provision  of  the  books  which  promote  serious 
thinking;  and  the  employment  of  a  staff  of  trained  specialists  in 
the  use  of  books  to  promote  reading  and  study  and  to  give  detailed 
advice  to  those  who  want  to  undertake  courses  of  reading. 

DISCUSSION. — Mr.  Henderson,  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
called  attention  to  the  pathetic  condition  of  boys  and  girls  who 
spend  5  or  6  years  of  their  lives  learning  to  read  and  are  then  unable 
to  make  use  of  their  accomplishment  for  lack  of  library  facilities. 

LIBRARY  FACILITIES  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

By  MABY  B.  PALMER. 

The  determination  of  educators  and  librarians  that  American 
people  should  not  only  have  access  to  books  but  should  also  know 
how  to  use  them  effectively  and  should  have  the  desire  to  read  has 
resulted  in  many  plans  for  book  extension.  The  first  difficulty  for 
all  of  us  comes  with  individuals  who  have  not  yet  learned  the 
mechanics  of  reading.  This  group  includes  not  only  those  who  can 
not  read,  but  those  who  deal  with  print  hesitatingly  and  with  effort. 
And  there  are  those  who  are  not  prepared  to  handle  an  unfamiliar 
form  of  print,  such  as  indexes,  manuals,  compilations  of  statistics, 
etc.  They  are  entirely  unable  to  use  books  as  tools.  The  third  group 
of  special  difficulty  is  made  up  of  the  people  who  receive  only  as 
much  as  the  author  gives,  and  contribute  nothing  themselves  to  the 
reading  of  the  book.  We  need  more  "  creative  readers,"  as  Carl 
Van  Doren  defines  the  reader  who  "  challenges,  disputes,  denies, 
fights  his  way  through  his  book,  and  emerges  to  some  extent  always 
another  person." 

To  bring  books  to  all  the  people  of  North  Carolina  has  been  the  chief 
purpose  and  aim  of  the  North  Carolina  Library  Commission.  Of 
the  2,559,123  "  Tar  Heels,"  only  3,299  are  foreign  born.  In  the  past 
10  years  the  urban  population  has  increased  from  14  per  cent  to 
19  per  cent.  We  have  560  textile  mills  in  the  State,  and  the  value 
of  our  manufactured  products  is  almost  a  billion  dollars.  In  wealth, 
production,  and  influence  we  are  rapidly  becoming  an  industrial 
State.  However,  1,828,000  of  our  people  live  outside  incorporated 
places,  and  our  plans  must  be  made  chiefly  for  rural  districts. 


To  supply  the  reading  interests  of  our  people  the  library  commis- 
sion has  sent  free  traveling  and  package  libraries  into  every  county. 
In  1921  the  appropriation  was  increased  118  per  cent  and  the  use  of 
books  has  shown  a  corresponding  increase.  The  package  libraries 
include  debate  material  for  rural  schools,  study  club  papers,  and 
farmers'  libraries,  in  addition  to  a  great  quantity  of  material  on 
subjects  varying  from  fertilizers  to  the  Einstein  theory. 

The  traveling  libraries,  containing  40  volumes  each,  go  to  rural 
schools  and  communities,  and  frequently  afford  the  first  opportunity 
of  contact  with  books  beyond  the  school  textbooks.  Letters  of  keen 
appreciation  of  these  books  come  to  the  office  almost  daily.  They 
tell  the  story  of  what  books  can  mean  to  persons  shut  in  by  bad 
weather,  swollen  streams,  or  simply  by  distance  from  their  neighbors. 

To  our  rural  folk  reading  courses  appeal  strongly.  This  is  par- 
ticularly true  of  our  young  people,  who  are  eager  to  get  the  best 
from  books.  The  reading  courses  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of 
Education  afford  an  introduction  to  the  world  of  print  and  should 
be  placed  in  the  hands  of  every  American  boy  and  girl. 

VALUE  OF  THE  HOME  READING  SERVICE, 

By  W.  S.  BITTNEE. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  university  extension  and  the  adult  edu- 
cation movement  in  the  United  States  suffer  from  the  lack  of  national 
integration.  Theoretically  it  is  a  fine  thing  for  each  State  to  go  its 
own  way,  experiment,  and  develop  independently  its  ventures  in 
adult  education  and  public-welfare  service,  but  practically  each 
State  agency  limps  along  in  a  kind  of  isolation,  lacking  the  help  that 
might  come  from  a  knowledge  of  how  other  States  are  solving  identi- 
cal problems  arising  from  a  national  undertaking.  The  15  or  more 
universities  which  conduct  the  United  States  home  reading  courses 
can  rely  on  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  definite  assistance.  They 
can  compare  the  results  with  some  certainty,  because  the  courses  are 
conducted  on  a  uniform  basis. 

The  prestige  alone  of  State  cooperation  with  a  Federal  bureau  is 
sufficient  to  justify  almost  any  concrete  device  or  plan  of  cooperation. 
No  matter  how  much  Americans  may  seem  to  dislike  Federal  bureau- 
cracy, they  are  impressed  favorably  when  it  aids  a  State  agency.  An 
established  connection  between  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Educa- 
tion, the  State  department  of  public  instruction,  and  the  State  uni- 
versity, such  as  exists  in  the  case  of  the  home  reading  courses,  is 
valuable  simply  because  it  is  a  tangible  connection.  It  is  a  healthy 
sign ;  it  gives  hope  of  intelligent  unity  in  action,  even  though  it  should 
have  been  no  more  than  a  paper  declaration  in  that  direction.  A  co- 
operative undertaking  tends  to  strengthen  all  the  agencies  working 


together  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  it  implies  harmony  and  an 
absence  of  disconnected  effort. 

The  plan  of  decentralization,  of  using  State  collaborators  in  admin- 
istration, is  a  good  one  for  several  reasons.  It  helps  to  negative  the 
fear  of  so-called  Federal  interference;  it  sets  aside  the  criticism  of 
United  States  bureaus  on  the  ground  of  meddling,  dictation,  or  con- 
trol. If  decentralization  were  adopted  as  a  permanent  comprehen- 
sive method,  it  should  make  possible  a  great  extension  of  nationally 
supported  projects  in  education  without  inviting  opposition  to  alleged 
overexpansion  at  Washington.  Washington  offices  used  to  be,  prob- 
ably still  are,  flooded  with  requests  for  information  on  all  sorts  of 
things,  and  many  of  these  requests  were  referred,  transferred,  and 
referred  again  from  bureau  to  bureau.  Why  not  have  one  reference 
back  to  the  university  in  the  State  from  which  the  inquiry  came— 
for  certain  kinds  of  information  that  are  not  readily  available  in  the 
Federal  departments?  The  package  library  service  of  the  university 
extension  divisions  would  lend  itself  to  the  same  kind  of  plan  under 
which  the  home  reading  courses  are  administered.  Correspondence 
study  courses  in  high  school  and  college  could  be  offered  more  eco- 
nomically and  efficiently  by  State  universities  if  a  central  agency  like 
the  Bureau  of  Education  would  provide  a  means  for  cooperation. 

It  seems  to  me  to  follow  naturally  that  any  plan  which  involves 
Federal  and  State  cooperation  should  have  as  many  earmarks  of 
connection  as  possible  and  convenient.  The  appointment  of  collabora- 
tors and  the  use  of  the  frank  seem  trivial  in  themselves,  but  they  are, 
to  the  public,  proof  of  cooperation.  That  the  public  likes  to  get  a 
"  United  States  official  business  "  communication  is  less  amusing  than 
encouraging.  To  receive  a  certificate  signed  by  Federal  and  State 
officials,  bearing  the  seal  of  a  United  States  bureau,  is  an  accomplish- 
ment not  to  be  despised.  Federal  sanction  is  powerful.  The  frank- 
ing privilege  is  valuable  because  it  helps  directly  to  sell  ideas  as  well 
as  because  it  aids  poverty-stricken  educational  institutions.  As  far 
as  Indiana  is  concerned,  the  financial  consideration  is  unimportant, 
unless  the  free  mailing  privilege  should  be  extended  to  the  package 
library  and  general  information  services.  In  the  latter  case  the  sav- 
ing to  the  university  would  be  considerable. 

The  home  reading  course  plan  has  proved  helpful  to  university  ex- 
tension divisions  and  to  the  State  departments  of  public  instruction. 
In  Indiana  I  find  considerable  evidence  that  approval  is  given  to  the 
definite  sign  of  cooperation  between  the  State  institution,  the  State 
board,  and  the  Federal  bureau.  The  State  department  of  public  in- 
struction welcomes  the  opportunity  to  encourage  reading  in  and  out 
of  the  schoolsi  The  university  extension  division  has  for  many  years 
tried  various  devices  to  encourage  systematic  study  and  reading;  it 


9 

has  found  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  home  reading 
courses  best  suited  to  reach  that  wide  and  miscellaneous  class  which 
can  not  undertake  the  sustained  study  demanded  by  college  corre- 
spondence courses. 

We  have  a  large  number  of  inquiries  about  the  home  reading 
courses.  Not  only  do  they  come  from  members  of  parent-teacher 
groups,  which  we  try  especially  to  reach,  but  also  from  teachers, 
librarians,  and  from  men  and  women  of  the  most  varied  occupations. 
Grade  students  and  high-school  students,  too,  get  help  from  the 
courses.  Often  former  college  students  write  for  enrollment  blanks, 
and  a  few  enroll.  Some  learn  for  the  first  time  about  the  regular 
correspondence  study  courses  and  enroll  in  them. 

Many  persons  whose  attention  is  caught  by  the  reading  courses 
become  interested  in  other  methods  of  home  education.  The  courses 
catch  the  fancy  of  people  who  otherwise  would  get  little  or  no  intro- 
duction to  educational  materials,  never  know  of  the  Bureau  of  Edu- 
cation, nor  know  at  all  of  the  services  of  their  State  university. 
Enrolled  readers  represent  most  varied  occupations:  Housewives, 
railroad  brakemen,  telegraph  operators,  electricians,  clerks,  glass 
workers,  office  managers,  farmers,  art  students,  ministers,  and  school 
boys  and  girls.  Those  who  recently  obtained  certificates  were,  re- 
spectively, housewives,  school  children,  a  minister,  a  high-school 
principal,  a  librarian,  and  a  college  student. 

Probably  the  number  of  persons  who  enroll  and  complete  courses 
will  never  be  large  compared  to  the  number  who  write  to  the  uni- 
versity for  information  or  to  the  number  who  become  interested  in 
the  idea  of  reading  selected  books  consecutively.  No  figures  are 
available  to  show  how  many  teachers  use  the  official  reading  lists 
as  guides  for  their  pupils,  how  many  women's  clubs  use  them  for 
their  programs,  or  how  many  librarians  distribute  the  leaflets  to 
their  patrons  to  help  them  in  the  selection  of  books  from  the  local 
library.  There  are  several  librarians  in  Indiana  who  make  a  practice 
of  enrolling  readers  and  supervising  their  reports. 

The  value  of  the  courses  is  not  alone  to  be  measured  by  the  num- 
ber of  persons  who  complete  them  nor  by  the  character  of  the  "  work  " 

the  readers  do,  but  chiefly,  to  my  mind,  by  the  power  of  suggestion 

the  impulse  toward  high-class  literature  which  is  given  to  the  scores 
of  youths  and  adults  who  ask  for  the  printed  lists  and  give  some  in- 
terest and  attention  to  them.  A  surprisingly  large  number  actually 
enroll,  purchase  some  of  the  standard  books,  and  read  them.  I  have 
little  patience  with  that  academic  insistence  which  demands  lesson 
papers  and  elaborate  tests  as  essential  evidence  of  educational  values. 
I  think  even  a  display  advertisement  is  not  to  be  despised  as  a  pos- 
sible educational  device.  What  book  reviews  may  do  for  the  sophis- 


r     oJ  lab 


